The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-03-09

result thereof declared; and
Whereas, No Joint assembly of the
two houses has ever been held
which could take any cognizance of a con-
test of the election for Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor. even if there had been an election
held and,
Whereas, No court or judge has, at any
time, expressed the opinion that an elec-
tion for Lieutenant-Goyernor was lawfully
holden in November, 1886, and the preten-
tions OF any person to such Office are, there
fore, unfounded and unsupported by any
judicial opinion whatever; and,
Whereas, One of the Judges of the Su-
preme Court, Hon. William Z. Niblack,
constituting the Constitution of the State
upon this subject, has said The contro-
versy is one over which the courts have no
jurisdiction, and over which no court can
exercise the slightest CONTROL and that the
Senate has the unquestioned right to deter
mine who is entitled to act as its presiding
officer. Section 10. article 1 of the Consti-
tution.) Where there is a contest as to
which of two persons is entitled to preside
over the Senate, the question becomes one
which the Senate must decide;" and,
Whereas, Heretofore on the 9th day of
January, 1887, the Senate did elect to the
Presidency thereof Hon. Alonzo G. Smith,
now acting as President of the Senate in the
absence of the Lieutenant-Governor of the
State chosen at the general election, 1884;
and,
Whereas, No Lieutenant Governor could
have been or has been elected since that
time, ortcan be elected until 1888; and,
Whereas, The majority of the Senate has
been, and is now, willing to submit the
question of the election for Lieutenant
Governor held in November, 1886, directly
or indirectly, to the Supreme Court, and
abide by their decision as arbitrators, il not
as judges; and,
Whereas, The President of this body has
twice attempted, unsuccessfully, to have
the same question determined, and no de-
cision has been made against his rights as
President of the Senate; therefore,
Be it resolved, That the majority of the
Senate are willing to submit to the Su-
preme Court as arbitrators the question of
the legality of the election held for Lieu
tenant-Governor in 1886; and.
Resolved further, That the Senate is
and has been organized with the said
Alonzo q. Smith as President, constitution
ally, regularly and lawfully; and that we
proceed IN the speediest manner possible
to enact legislation needed for the interests
and welfare of the State, in order that we
may be ready, having performed all our
duties as legislators, for adjournment at
the end of sixty.one days period of the
regular session.
This resolution was introduced and
adopted but no notice of it was taken by
those who ruled in the councils of the con-
spiratoTs. AT the same time the Senate,
by two separate resolutions acquainted
the House with its willingness and readi-
ness to take up, consider and pass the
necessary appropriation bills and other
measures pending, so much required and
needed for the welfare of the people of this
Drv, 1kl, = Al
Speaker of the House, the doors of that
branch were shut in the faces of the Senate
messengers, and the resolutions were re-
turned unread, unnoticed to the branch of
the Legislature in which they had origin
ated. Mr.. Speaker Sayre, as the instru-
ment and organ of the cloud of conspira-
tors in ambush behind him, has become
most prominent in this disgraceful attempt
to retard and obstruct the legitimate busi-
ness of the session. To this end he has re-
peatedly violated every known principle
of Parliamentary law and usage, refusing
call OF the House at its opening each day,
as has been made since its first assemblage,
although often moved for. He has refused
q call of the ayes and noes when regularly
asked for and seconded. He has refused to
entertain appeals on matters of vital i'm
portance when respectfully asked and Sec
onded, and when the House was regu-
larly organized in open session. He
has put questions to vote while
the members of the House were on
the floor discussing them. He has refused
to allow bills and other papers to be read
In full, even when requested. He has given
his consent to an enormous and unneces-
sary increase of employees of the House, and
to extravagant allowances of their pay
ment. Yet, Mr.. Speaker Sayre and his en-
ployes, his petty parasites, down to the
veriest spittoon-cleaner, are drawing their
pay to-day under an appropriation bill at
tested by Mr.. Smith as President of the
Senate. The Constitution of Indiana pro-
vides that no money shall be drawn from
the Treasury except by appropriation made
by law. Which is worse in Mr.. Speaker
SayIe and his confederates, that they should
rob the State Treasury by abstracting
money therefrom contrary to law, or that
he should decline to receive and sign Senate
bills transmitted to him attested in the
same manner, in the regular course of leg
islative business To the ignominy of one
of these two alternatives alike shameful
and dishonorable, his own act commit him.
But the most remarkable effect of Mr..
Speaker Sayre's conduct has not been felt
in the House, which he dishonors by his
presence-still more by his presidency
but in the Senate, altogether outside of his
tyranical jurisdiction. When he announced
the passage of the revolutionary resolution
of obstruction by the House, eighteen Re-
publican members of the Senate were
stricken speechless. This appalling mis-
fortune has heretofore fallen upon certain
offenders in miraculous token of the divine
displeasure, as upon John the Baptist's
father for his unbelief. 1t is something
new, very strange, that in our time it has
been inflicted by a single stroke of the
gavel in the hands Of a mere mortal. The
day is not far distant when the voice and
the power of the people of Indiana will cast
these dumb demons forth. Their places
will be filled by gentlemen clothed in their
right minds, ready and willing to do their
duty as members of the Senate.
None of these attempts at peaceable
and lesgle settlement of the issue between
the two houses has met the approval of
Mr. Speaker Sayre or the claimant of the
Office of LleuteDat-GoverHor. ALI of them
have been thoroughly disregarded, and this
thing shows and proves that these insur-
rSctionists, their aiders and abetters, both
in the Legislature and out of it, never de-
sired any lawful or peaceful adjudication
of their rights, but from the beginning had
constantly intended, by force or fraud, to
subvert the lawful authority OF one OF the
legislative departments of the State Gov
eminent. One of the most determined
and earnest efforts to advance the business
of the session was made by Senator Barrett,
of Allen County, Immediately after the
passage OF the resolution of obstruction by
the House, who offered for adoption lhe
following Senate concurrent resolution,
No IA.